International Texting

A feature that works well to stay in touch overseas and wont break the bank is TEXTING.  As noted in the previous blog, using your North American cell phone provider in Europe without a local SIM card or special plan can be VERY expensive.  However, texting, by contrast, is very affordable.  I am most familiar with my ATT plan and its options but the other carriers have similar ones so just check with your provider for specifics. 
There are two ways to handle texting with ATT cell phones.  You can text overseas and pay the .25 cents per text to send and .20 cents to receive a text.  Text messages will come in through the "cell data" portion of your settings so don't turn off your cell phone if you want to get texts.  You don't have to worry about roaming charges if you use the phone for texting and not as a regular cell phone.  |As mentioned in the previous blog, if you have a smart phone you need to turn off the "Data Roaming" in your settings which wont affect receiving or sending cell calls or texts.  I don't answer my cell phone abroad but rely on text messages from those who want to get in touch with me. I then text them back or call them later on SKYPE when I have wi-fi service.
ATT also offers cheaper text service for $10 a month that allows you to text from anywhere for .10 per message coming or going.  Its probably not worth the it for a 10 day visit to Europe unless you plan on sending or receiving at least 100 texts.    Check with your phone provider to see what they offer in international phone/ text packages

Cheap long distance calling from Europe

Want to stay in touch with the friends and family back home for free or just a few pennies a minute?  Here's how. SKYPE.   http://www.skype.com.  Skype was actually founded in Tallinn in 2003, snatched up by Ebay and last year sold to Microsoft Corp.  Skype allows you to use your laptop, cell or smart phone to call over the internet free from PC to PC or for just under 3 cents to call from cell phone to land lines or other cell phones.  You can even do video chats on a laptop or smart phone.
Don't even think of trying to use your ATT, Virizon, T-Moile or other service providers to call (or answer calls) in Europe. If you do, be prepared for at lest $1.99 per minute + roaming charges.  With a wi-fi signal you can use Skype from anywhere.  In Tallinn, wi-fi is everywhere and free even in the streets of the old town.  The convention hotels both have free wi-fi throughout.  There are just a few things to do to get you started.  Once you've downloaded Skype you need to set up an account and use a credit card or Pay Pal and deposit some money in it which gets drawn down as it gets used. You start with $10 and either automatically have it replenished when it gets low or get an email request alert for a new deposit.  I have been using Skype regularily for over two years and am working on my second $10 reserve. If you have a smart phone (I-Phone, Android, etc) I recommend TURNING OFF your network data roaming (in the settings) while in Europe or you might get billed for roaming charges.  You can still leave your cell phone powered on and that way you can see who is calling.  Just dont answer and then return calls later via Skype.  If you want to use your cell phone at will like you do at home,  look into buying a local sim card or minutes from a European provider.  I've never done that so you'll have to do your own research.  I'll cover adapters for charging electronics, voltage concerns and texting in Europe in upcoming blogs.

International travel using a travel agent (part 2)

Still in a quandary about when and how to book your Civitan convention flights to Tallinn this July?  Letting a professional handle your trip is likely the best course for those who seldom book overseas travel or don’t want to try and master a host of new online web sites and options.  There is a time and place to do business online including banking, investing, bill paying, etc.  However, nothing in our early schooling or training since has prepared us for the sometimes overwhelming task of booking online international travel given all its nuances, options and fares.  As with any new online activity there is a learning curve to find and navigate the appropriate sites but that is only one aspect of planning an international trip.  Understanding some of the complexities of the newer airline rules, international security issues and baggage limitations suggest that using an experienced professional travel agent might be best.  In part 1 of this topic on January 5, I gave you some ideas on how to find an agent.  If by now you haven’t found one and have not felt comfortable venturing out online to begin the process then allow me to recommend an experienced professional agent.  Wayne Mullis Travel has been booking Civitan travel to international conventions for over 20 years.  This year is no exception.  For only $25 they will book your roundtrip flights to Tallinn, Estonia.  They monitor the fares, appraise you of options and shop to insure you get the best fares at the time of booking.  Mr. Mullis himself will be in Tallinn to help at the other end if needed.  You can call or email them to book your convention travel program:  800 225-4815 or amoe@wmtvl.webmail.com (put “Civitan” or Tallinn somewhere in the subject line.)

Reminder: If you are planning to participate in one of the post convention tours in July, the deadline to commit for a berth on the 7 day Baltic cruise is March 8.

When to Book your international flight

There seems to be some angst about when to book your overseas flights to the Civitan convention in Tallinn next July.  There are several sites that you can subscribe to that will tell you when the fare goes down (or up). Two I've been satisfied with are www.tripadvisor.com and www.airfarewatchdog.com.  Post your planned flight literary on them and they keep tabs on changes in prices.  They will email you with regular updates about changes in fares and flight options.  One I haven't tried but have checked out is Microsoft's www.bing.com/travel.  This one has a "price predictor" option that tells you if it will get cheaper at some later date.  They do so using historic flight data and will predict whether the date and flight you are trying to book will go down, go up or stay the same with a relatively high degree of certainty which they post (e.g. 83% certainty for your selection to go down if you wait.)  They have certain limitations to their prophetic powers.  The "price predictor" function only works less than 120 days from departure, the trip abroad must be at least 2 weeks long and it only works between major airports such as Atlanta and London or Frankfurt.  Neither Birmingham nor Helsinki were not on their list.  Even if your airport isn't included in the "predictor" they are still a good online travel agent since flights to European gateway cities such as Atlanta to London are a good predictor of what they will be from Birmingham.  I checked this morning and in spite of the higher fuel prices at the moment, international fares to Europe in the summer are starting to come down.  I found great fares in May and June ($850- $900) but still $1200 in July.  Those same May-June fares were $1200+ last month at this time.  If you usenthe watch lists above, try putting in several options on cities and dates and see how the pricing comes in over the next few months. Be paitience.... it's still a virtue and might save you some money...  Next blog: Using an experienced live travel agent with an 800# and email for only $25 to book your international travel.

Save $$ using Gateway Cities as Stepping Stones

Seems a day doesn't go by that I don't get a call saying that the fares to Europe are too high.  When I ask how they are flying invariably I hear that they are trying to book from their small home town direct to Tallinn 5 months in advance. 

Two things to do differently that will save you money.  Book later this spring since airlines don't yet know how many seats they will have in inventory in early July so there's no incentive for them to discount this far out.  Secondly, If possible, book from a major gateway city in the US to a gateway city in Europe and then take a smaller feeder or discount airline to Tallinn.  For example a flight from Florence, SC to Tallinn for July 1 returning July 7 is $1830 if booked today.  However if you drive to Charlotte NC( a few hours away) and use http://www.parksleepfly.com to park your car free for up to 2 weeks for only a nights stay (at either end of your trip) and use the free shuttle you can save big $$$ as follows: A round trip flight booked today on http://www.Kayak.com for July 1 from Charlotte to Helsinki is $1113.  The airport shuttle in Helsinki to the port is under $10.  Then take the 2 hour ferry to Tallinn (40 miles away) for about $40 which gets you to the Tallinn port at edge of the old town and your convention hotel. Flying home from Helsinki would mean repeating the last two steps but your net savings is still about $650. 

Better yet, on your way back to the US, take the 4 hour motor coach bus to Riga, Latvia that leaves several times a day (Riga market square above).  After a few days in Riga fly home from there or to another European gateway city like Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin etc ($102- 170 one way) and then fly home.  Kayak allows you to price multiple destinations such as flying into one city and home from another and its usually its about the same cost.  Next weeks blog is on when to book and tips on other discount internal European flight aggregater sites.

Driving in Europe

Car rental and driving in Europe is much like it is in North America. With the exception of the British Isles every country on the European continent drives on the right (same as US) side. Traffic signs, patterns and driving in general are pretty universal. Most cars are smaller which makes driving and parking in older downtown areas a bit easier. If you have a valid license in the US you are able to rent a car and drive in Europe. (More on renting a car in an upcoming blog). I first learned how to drive in Germany in the mid 1960s and still rent a car on occasion when visiting and if I have to travel over an extended period of time. I know train travel is popular but it’s also not cheap. If 2 of you are planning to do some touring, travel by car gives you a bit more flexibility and is often cheaper than a few train tickets. Driving also gives you the option of staying at hotels that you might like along the way and doesnt force you to limit yourself to downtown hotels near the train station or use taxis or public transportion to get around. A recent week long car rental was just over 300 Euros including insurance. A round trip train ticket to and from Munich to Hannover for 2 would cost more. I just want you to keep the option of car rental on the table. Gas is high but even at around $9 a gallon, the cars are smaller with 4 cylinder turbo charged efficient engines and mostly manual shift (automatic is available). Distances are also not that great. Central Europe would fit into Texas. Germany is about the size of Washington and Oregon combined. I’ll cover train travel in an upcoming blog and give you some web sites to consider schedules and prices along with rental cars

Convention Tours

Post convention tours have been posted to our web site.  These purport to be  some exciting and affordable trips suggested to compliment your European visit next July.  Starting the day after the closing, there is a 7 day Baltic cruise that starts in neighboring Stockholm, Sweden just a short flight away that takes you to Helsinki, Finland, St Petersburg, Russia, Riga, Latvia, Gdansk, Poland and then back to Stockholm for travel home or elsewhere.  Other tours include a trip to Sweden then to Oslo and Bergen Norway.  An overland trip by motor coach is scheduled from Tallinn to St Petersburg with an optional side visit to Moscow.  The latter by motor coach requires a travel visa to Russia.  Cruises to and from St Petersburg, Russia do not require a separate travel visa.  Many Civitans have already signed up for tours post convention.  Whether you take an organized tour or travel on your own, you'll enjoy the friendly hospitality of the people of the Baltic and Scandinavian nations.  Shown below is a rampart of the city wall in old Tallinn 2 blocks from the convention hotels.
www.civitan.org/convention

For full details visit:  www.civitan.org/convention